By Saheed Afolabi
West Bromwich Albion manager, Chris Brunt, has praised Josh Maja for his remarkable impact on the team this season, following his stellar performance in their 3-1 win against Preston on Wednesday at the Hawthorns.
Maja, the Nigerian striker, scored a brace, helping to seal the victory for the Baggies.
Brunt was full of praise for Maja, describing him as an intelligent player whose versatility and movement make him a constant threat to opposing defenses.
“It’s nice to see him get on the end of it. His link-up play is so good, he’s an intelligent football player, does a really good job for the team and brings a lot of other attacking threats into the game by dropping into spaces and he did well today,” Brunt said in his post-match press conference.
Maja’s brace against Preston ended an eight-game goal drought and boosted his confidence as he continues to play a pivotal role in West Brom’s attacking lineup.
The Baggies are currently in the playoffs zone of the Championship, with 39 points from 25 matches. They will next face 12th-place Swansea City on Saturday, January 4.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
